Tsarist Regime Essay Example for Free

Tsarist Regime Essay How successful was opposition to the tsarist regime between 1861 and 1881 in achieving its aims? There was a great deal of opposition to the tsarist regime between 1861 and 1881 and many were successful. The opposition came from the liberal minded intelligentsia who were determined to change what they believed to be outmoded and inhibiting Russian ways. The Populists, who aimed to win over the peasantry to their socialist ideas by stirring up their resentment of the Tsarist Autocracy. Although there were very few intelligentsia, their size and influence grew in the 1970s due to the development of the law courts, as a result of reform. These courts produced an unexpected crop of professionally trained lawyers, who were ready to question and challenge Russian autocratic practices. They were determined to change what they believed to be outmoded and inhibiting Russian ways. Some of the younger generation, who were influenced by the Nihilists, wanted to sweep away everything from the past so a new society could be born. The St Petersburg Zemstvo almost immediately demanded a central body to co-ordinate the regional zemstva, but the tsar disagreed with the proposal. However, the increase in repression from 1866 onwards only increased the zemstva demands for constitutional change and heightened student idealism and determination. This shows that they were successful in challenging the tsar even when he stood firm against the proposal and they were able to put pressure on for change. This ideology was thereafter aimed to persuade the peasants and fuel their resentment towards the Russian autocracy by the Populists. Sergei Nechyev, a radical of peasant extraction inspired a circle of young revolutionaries, the â€Å"Chaikovsky circle†, which produced many pamphlets and smuggled in books officially banned in Russia. This, in turn, led Pyotr Lavrov to lead a group of around 2000 young men and women, mainly from the nobility and intelligentsia in 1874 and â€Å"go to the people†. They became known as the Populists. The populists aimed to win over the peasantry to their socialist ideas, by stirring up their resentment against the lack of land and the heavy tax burden they still carried, despite emancipation. They believed that the future of Russia depended on land redistribution and the development of the peasant commune. The movement did succeed in carrying out some assassinations – General Mezemstev, head of the Third section in 1878, as was Prince Kropotkin. What worried the authorities in particular was the public sympathy won by such assassins and the way they seemed able to escape  with popular support. There were even some talks between the Zemstva and the Populists to try to place more pressure on the Autocracy for constitutional reform. This shows that they were successful in gaining support from the public for their actions. However, both the populists and the Intelligentsia were not always successful in their opposition to the tsarist regime. The Intelligentsia didn’t really achieve much, especially what they set out to do. Even though they gained some power and ploughed on pressure for constitutional change, they were not able to change the outmoded and inhibiting way of Russia. When the Zemstvo demanded a central body to co-ordinate the regional zemstva, the tsar stood firm against this proposal. They were not able to change the Russian state in anyway and were not granted more individual freedom. Furthermore many of the Populists, who tried to influence and win over the peasantry with their socialist ideas, were arrested in the autumn of 1874, 1600 of the total 2000 to be precise. They tried to dress up and talk like peasants to persuade the villagers of their importance to Russian society. However, the peasants’ ignorance, superstition, prejudice and deep-rooted loyalty to the tsar ensured they were arrested. From this you can see that many peasants were loyal to the tsar and did not believe and want revolution, they were unwilling to accept socialist ideas and challenge the tsarist regime. In conclusion, I believe the opposition was successful in achieving its aims between 1861 and 1881 because the Intelligentsia were able to demand constitutional changes which they could not do before because they lacked knowledge and determination. Moreover, the populists were able to get away with assassinations and this worried the authorities as these assassins gained a lot of public sympathy and escaped due to public support. Even though they struggled, in the end they still achieved some changes and this shows the opposition were successful in achieving their aims against the tsarist regime.

Analysis of the effects of recruitment

Analysis of the effects of recruitment This Report will analyse and reflect different aspect of recruiting, training, motivating and rewarding staff in Marks and Spencer. One of the Biggest challenge in any business is recruiting, motivating and retaining employees. This is also true for Marks and Spencers recruitment procedure. To analyse the recruiting, training, motivating and rewarding staff in Marks and Spencer the following points are discussed in this report. Method use by Marks and Spencer for Staff recruitment, training, motivation and reward system. Marks and Spencers strategic fit with its current HR practices in the design and delivery of its staff rewarding system. Identifying the current practice at Marks and Spencer regarding HRM strategy and theory. Cost implications for Marks and Spencers current HRM policies particularly in relation to recruitment, training, reward system and their impact on stakeholder. Recommendation for most appropriate and effective motivational and reward system strategy for Marks and Spencer. Suggested budget and evaluation method deploy the new and improved motivational and rewarding system at Marks and Spencer. Table of content Executive summary 1 Table of content 2 Information Gathering 3 Introduction 4 Marks and Spencers Organizational Background 5 Approach to Recruitment Planning 5 Recruitment and Selection Methods 6 Marks and Spencer Recruitment 6 Training and development 7 Reward and Performance Management 8 Discussion and Comment on Current HRM strategy and Practice 8 Cost Implication of current HRM policies 10 Recommendation and Budget suggestion 11 Conclusions 12 Appendix 13 Brief Background of Marks and Spencer 13 Structure 14 Culture 15 References 16 Information Gathering: To prepare this report several resources, tools, technique, and methods are used. Resources used in this report are from newspaper articles, reports, organizations accounts, charts, financial documents and many others. Primary information gathered from libraries as well as world wide web resources. The steps and methods used while gathering information to produce this report are: Interviews Analysing organizational charts Document overview Website surveys Research Documentation The primary document used to create this report is mainly the annual reports of Marks and Spencer. History and background of the company are gathered from world wide web and several other resources. Introduction: In this report I will be discussing Marks and Spencers general approach to employee recruitment procedure. In particular its approach to human resource planning, its recruitment and selection methods, and its rewards and performance management practices and how issues of employment diversity are managed. Firstly, I will be discussing the companys brief background, HRM strategy, culture and structure. Then I will discuss the Method use by Marks and Spencer for Staff recruitment, training, motivation and reward system, strategic fit with its current HR practices in the design and delivery of its staff rewarding system, Identifying the current practices regarding HRM strategy and theory, cost implications of current HRM policies particularly in relation to recruitment, training, reward system and their impact on stakeholder. Finally I will give some recommendation for most appropriate and effective motivational and reward system strategy and suggested budget and evaluation method deploy the new and improved motivational and rewarding system. Marks and Spencers Organizational Background: With over 120 years of strong heritage, Marks and Spencer is one of the best retailers in the United Kingdom. The organization has over 450 stores within the UK and have more than 65,000 people working for them in store and management. It also runs its business outside the United Kingdom border where it has a widespread business in places as far as Hong Kong. Now a days, the UKs retailing market has been identified by its super intense competitions. Customers are becoming more and more conscious of where and how they want to shop. They also understand what kind of shopping experience they like. This idea has made it much more difficult for retailers to survive. The end result of this was that M and S had to invent a new business plan and strategy which focused on the their business values, quality, and services. (www.thetimes100.co.uk) Approach to Recruitment Planning: Marks and Spencer use a systematic approach known as strategic planning to their human resource planning which determines its plan of action based upon the values, culture and mission of the company. It is important to Marks and Spencers employees as it helps them to understand the process of the strategic planning to see how their work objectives and individual responsibilities directly affect the companies mission. The systematic approach has six steps which are, to remember the mission, identify the opportunities and threats of the company, to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the company by evaluating employees skills, facilities and organisation structure, to forecast capabilities and opportunities by evaluating any upcoming changes before forecasting future opportunities, to develop goals and objectives and to implement the goals by evaluating the results and revising the plan as they move forward. Recruitment and Selection Methods: To match it business strategy, Marks and Spencer develops existing staff within the organisation. It also recruits managers at three different levels: Trainee managers with A-Levels undertake twenty-four months of training Graduates who join the organisation form university have twelve months of training Experienced managers who have retail experience undertake up to three months of training when they join Marks and Spencer to help them understand how Marks and Spencer operates. Marks and Spencer Recruitment: Internally by recruiting within the company which includes advertising media on notice boards either paper or electronic for example via their corporate intranet, in-house journals, memoranda to supervisors/managers soliciting recommendations and observation and word of mouth. Most of these methods they use incur little extra cost, being based on existing or easily accessible information about the candidates abilities, attitudes and so on. Externally by recruiting people from outside the organisation. Marks and Spencer use agencies for graduates of schools and training institutions such as job centres and career services. Employment agencies are another method of recruitment they use which provides temporary workers for one-off requirements and short-term cover. The Internet is a major external method used by Marks and Spencer, through online recruitment agencies. Marks and Spencers website enables people to apply online via their online application form. Marks and Spencers online application form is very convenient for a disabled person or an immigrant who would find it difficult to find work. This is because Marks and Spencer takes pride in creating jobs under the Equal Opportunities policy which makes the jobs available to everybody, whatever their ethnic origin, race, sex, age, etc. The Marks and Spencer personnel staff can use the information on the application form to create a short list of people to invite to th e interview. This form can be very useful once the candidates have been short listed too. Training and development: Once the new employee has been selected for the job, they will probably need an induction training in order to help them settle into the new job. This training at marks and Spencer goes with the basics of the employees task, as well as some background details for example the history of the business and number of employees and the range of different goods and services produced by the business. At Marks and Spencer training is not just for the new employees. Training courses at Marks and Spencer are targeted at all employees in the business at different stages in their career for example management training courses, training on how to use new machinery and technology. There are many reasons for the huge amount of training used for the employees in Marks and Spencer: To improve employee productivity. To create more efficient and flexible workforce. To increase job satisfaction and motivation of the employees. And training employees increases their chances of promotion as well. Reward and Performance Management: Marks and Spencer use reward management within their company through rewarding their employees for their efforts towards the company. Marks and Spencer has a benefits package to help attract and retain staff by the generosity of benefits offered and by facilitating career longevity and work-life balance. The benefits package includes everything from subsided healthcare and performance-related pay rewards to their employee discount. The benefits package encourages commitment to the companies own products and demonstrates corporate social responsibility by giving above statutory levels of sick pay, paternity leave, pension provisions, employee assistance and so on. Discussion and Comment on Current HRM strategy and Practice: Marks and Spencer use the theory of Maslows Hierarchy of Needs, they ask their workers to rank their needs in order of importance using a points system and then analyse their current situation against the points system. Marks and Spencer through performance management carry out regular interviews with employees to assess them for further training or promotion. This is a major motivating factor for Marks and Spencer workers and the company need to be aware that this is a possible area for conflict and de-motivation. According to Maslow, Marks and Spencers workers are at the basic or safety needs level, the aim is to make more workers want to achieve a higher level of needs such as social or esteem needs. Marks and Spencer therefore train workers every now and then to keep these workers motivated. The personnel department find out which workers need more training by keeping track records on each employee, Marks and Spencer do this to increase their skills of the workforce in general bu t to increase the skills of the de-motivated employees more to increase motivation. Herzberg (1957) devised his motivation hygiene theory which stated that two groups of factors affect employee motivation. Herzberg said that certain elements in a job motivate people to do better; he called these elements, satisfiers. Herzberg suggested that satisfiers such as achievement and recognition motivate employees rather than hygiene factors such as pay and working conditions. Marks and Spencer agree with this and have introduced performance related pay within the last few years. Employees who work hard receive a higher wage than those who do not which encourages all employees to work as hard as possible in order to gain extra pay. They also use appraisals as a form of performance management to analyse which areas the employees need to be motivated on. In many companies, appraisal takes place once or twice a year but Marks and Spencer carry it out every three months, the more frequently appraisals are carried out, the better. Performance management allows Marks and Spencer t o ensure that all of their employees are properly trained as a properly trained employee will be more confident in their job and will be better motivated to perform more efficiently. Marks and Spencers selection is based purely on talent screening, they recruit suitable individuals regardless of their age. Individuals apply online and are screened initially on a number of killer questions such as, do you have a permit to work in the UK. Those that are successful at this stage are then screened using online talent screening, this test assesses their skills and experiences against that required for the role they are applying for. Those who pass this test are then invited for an interview. They analyse data from the online recruitment process to ensure that the use of the internet does not discriminate against any particular age group. The company runs training for recruiters about new legislations; the training is designed to ensure that those individuals who conduct selection interviews do not discriminate on the grounds of age. They also ensure that the chairs of assessor teams in assessment centres are well informed about the legislations. An examination of Mark s and Spencers criterion-based selection processes shows not only the use of criterion-based selection but also the use of online selections for initial screenings; this ensures that age is not a factor, as this screening is conducted electronically without reference to the candidates age. Those candidates who are selected for interview have therefore satisfied a number of criteria for the job without their age being known. The use of trained assessors and the provision of training on age for recruiters also minimises the likelihood of age being used as a factor in the selection process at interview or assessment centre stages. Cost Implication of current HRM policies: Marks and Spencer has a diverse range of employees committed to an active Equal Opportunities Policy. This covers their recruitment and selection procedures as well as its training and development, appraisal, promotion opportunities and retirement. They promote an environment free from discrimination, harassment and victimisation which they work hard to ensure everyone receives equal treatment. All the decisions they make relating to employment practices are objective, free from bias and based solely upon work criteria and individual merit. Not only are they responsive to the needs of their employees and customers but also take pride in the role they play in the community because of this they value diversity highly and it is important to them that they recognise and make full use of the wealth of talent they have within their organisation. Marks and Spencer places a lot of emphasis on developing initiatives and procedures that ensure equality for every member of the Marks and Spencer team. Marks and Spencer has a responsibility under UK domestic and European legislation to ensure the health, safety and welfare of all employees, customers and contractors on their premises. Managers have a responsibility to ensure that employees are aware of health and safety regulations and the requirement to report all accidents and dangerous occurrences to the appropriate person/department. Marks and Spencer operates a system that ensures workplace health and safety is safeguarded and they provide a range of occupational health services to their employees. Marks and Spencer abide by the legal framework on selection. The legal framework on selection states that application forms should not include questions which are not work-related (such as marital or domestic details) unless they are asked of all applicants. Marks and Spencers application form only asks questions based on what is needed for the job. Recommendation and Budget suggestion: Marks and Spencer deploys a systematic steps to their human resource planning known as strategic planning which set forth its plan of action based upon the values, culture and mission of the company. It is very important to Marks and Spencers employees as it helps determine them to understand the process of the strategic planning to see how their work objectives and individual responsibilities directly affect the companies mission. The systematic approach has six steps which are- To remember the mission, Identify the opportunities and threats of the company, To determine the strengths and weaknesses of the company by evaluating employees skills, Facilities and organisation structure, To forecast capabilities and opportunities by evaluating any upcoming changes before forecasting future opportunities, To develop goals and objectives and to implement the goals by evaluating the results and revising the plan as they move forward. Because of these Special HR planning approach used by Marks and Spencer, their recruiting, training and rewarding system is very highly effective. Thats why I think there is not much of recommendation left for Marks and Spencer to implement. The most effective approach they can take is to tweak the online recruitment methods and the advanced training facility upgrade. Because of their efficient HR planning and recruitment policy Marks and Spencer do not have to increase that much of their budget to recruit, train and motivate their human resources. So the even if they deploy new strategy for HR recruitment policy Marks and Spencer will be evaluate these thing within limited budget. Conclusion: In conclusion Marks and Spencers overall approach to employee resourcing is one that focuses on attracting and retaining the right people they need to be successful by offering employees competitive rewards and benefits and providing their employees with guidance and information about their values. Also focusing on attracting and retaining people from a culturally and socially diverse workforce that allows them to recruit the best people from a wide pool of talent, marks and Spencer also is concerned with ensuring that the health and safety of their employees and people are protected by well managed systems in all their places of work which all these concerns reflecting within their companies strategy. Appendix: Brief Background of Marks and Spencer: With over 120 years of strong heritage, Marks and Spencer is one of the best retailers in the United Kingdom. The organization has over 450 stores within the UK and have more than 65,000 people working for them in store and management. It also runs its business outside the United Kingdom border where it has a widespread business in places as far as Hong Kong. Now a days, the UKs retailing market has been identified by its super intense competitions. Customers are becoming more and more conscious of where and how they want to shop. They also understand what kind of shopping experience they like. This idea has made it much more difficult for retailers to survive. The end result of this was that M and S had to invent a new business plan and strategy which focused on the their business values, quality, and services. (www.thetimes100.co.uk) Marks and Spencer invented a promotional campaign that stated Your MS. This helped the organization to connect with the customer and the heritage of the organization. It also connected the business in the minds of buyers with 2 other values, trust and innovation. Their revamped and new business policy focuses on 3 main areas: Ensuring value for money products that consumers want. Development and Training brought new skill sets which help to add more value to its services and products, for example by reducing costs of products, this ensures Marks and Spencer to keep prices very low to really benefit the consumer. Improving the work environment within the organization, by having improved skills in sales and stock management means that staff can use the store to better advantage resulting in higher sales and profitability. Ensuring good customer experience, to look after customers if staff have improved communication skills, this can have a profound impact on customer experience. These simple changes have established a business environment with more challenges for MS Staffs. Managers had to prepare Staffs for whatever role they play in this new environment. The answer was to create new career paths for member of staff through training and development at Marks and Spencer to help staffs cope with the challenges they faced and build a career path for them. It is an important part of the Marks and Spencers business plan to attract, train, develop and retain a greater pool of talented individuals in all levels within the organization. The level of rewards and benefits they are able to offer is a key factor in successfully achieving this objective. The organization sets out to provide highly competitive salaries and benefits for all its employees consistent with its growth, strategy and increasingly international territories. Structure: Marks and Spencers has a flat organisational structure. The business lost a number of layers of authority through decentralizing which means that staff throughout the business have more responsibility. This enables them to make quick decisions and justifying actions that have been taken. (www.thetimes100.co.uk) The new structure led to a need in more training. In a flatter organisational structure, many employees have bigger jobs. There are higher expectations that staff can contribute more to its organisation. Marks and Spencer keeps its staff well-trained and able to respond to the businesses needs. There is also a need for succession management, when individuals either retire or move from one job to another Marks and Spencer management plans their replacements so that experienced staff with the right skills and competencies are selected. Culture: Marks and Spencer has a theory Z approach to its culture environment. The main aspect of a theory Z organisation is the test of collaboration between employees and managers. Businesses that successfully implement a theory Z approach to its culture find that employees have a sense of belonging and involvement. Views are shared across the organisation and from this shared norms and values emerge, which help the organisation to improve and move forward. (Ouchis theory Z culture)

Essay example --

Foucault describes in the â€Å"carceral archipelago† and how it transported the technique from the penal institution to the entire social body on pg. 298 of the text in relation to how technologies, powers and disciplines were connected in a series of prisons, institutions, and other organizations that governed or directed how social norms, punishments and regulations were administered. The archipelago referred to a collection of islands, which show relationships and structural similarities, as well as differences. Foucault uses Mettray as an example to show the emergences of more formalized structure or accountability as we could term it today with examples of power-knowledge over individuals. Foucault describes Mettray as the most disciplinary form at its most extreme, explaining that the models in which are concentrated all the coercive technologies of our behavior (p. 293). The prison was successful because it structured prisoners through the processes of discipline and control. The prison showed that it had the capabilities to transform its functionality to applications and technologies other than the carceral (punitive), such as hospitals, schools, and other public administrations by making the power and knowledge that is held over individuals normal. Its systems, because they were so effective were not destined to remain exclusively to the punitive environment. The technology that they enveloped was extremely useful, and as a result, discipline and structure have been profoundly influential in the development of social norms and behaviors in societies. In modern society, the structure that was present in the carceral environment can be seen in virtually all systems and organizational structures; from federal, state... ...hich in turn is intended to normalize the individual’s behavior. In the application, map my walk, Foucault would view the process of recording and sharing results with peers through electronic communication also as the process of examination. Through the process of sharing information and gathering results and responses, the individual’s behavior becomes normalized through the judging practice; not only being judged both indirectly and directly by their peers, but also by judging themselves through their progress and/or failures. Both are essentially control through observational techniques. It is interesting because they coincide with the pressure that women place on themselves to manifest control over their bodies, both internally and externally. It is similar to a panoptic environment, where the woman monitors her own outcomes. Word Count: 234

The World Trade Organization Where It’s Been and Where’s It’s Going? Es

The World Trade Organization Where It’s Been and Where’s It’s Going? Even dating back to times of Aristotle there has always been some form of trade and along with trade came rules and regulations. In the time of Aristotle trading took place on a smaller scale and between people much like bartering. In the modern world trade is what makes the world function on a broader and larger scale. We have become globalized as a world and we now are engaged in free trade, among many countries. There still needs to be regulations for each individual country and for trade in general. For the past century the GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade) has been the one to deal with issues that would arise, between countries. The GATT wrote rules and regulations on things that were acceptable and not acceptable in the trade arena. Then about a decade ago at the Uruguay Round, the GATT was meeting and decided that there needed to be another organization to meet the needs and enforced the articles written by GATT. This is way the World Trade Organization cam e about. The WTO has come under both praise and criticism for the work that they do, these ideas will be further discussed in the pages to come. They have had issues brought to their table that have no doubt been hard, but they must try to please all parties involved using the articles of GATT. Pleasing all parties is impossible since the WTO must follow those regulations, therefore they cannot make all parties content. Today and in future, cases will continue to be brought to their table, where they are expected to give the best response based on the articles, but also on research and past cases. Countries have battled amongst each other as how to solve a problem such as The... ...ppen in the push for globalization and the fight against it. The WTO will have to become stronger players in world markets in order to help things truly progress. BIBLIOGRAPHY Diao, Xinshen, Terry Roe, and Agapi Somwaru. â€Å"Developing Country Interests in Agricultural Reforms Under the World Trade Organization.† American Journal of Agricultural Economics, v.84, no.3. (August 2003): 782-790. Wallach, Lori. Global Trade Watch. Whose Trade Organization? Public Citizen 1999, 19. Irwin, Douglas. Free Trade Under Fire. Princeton and Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2002. Josling, Tim. â€Å"Key Issues in the World Trade Organization Negotiations on Agriculture.† American Journal of Agricultural Economics, v.85, no.3. (August 2003): 663-667 Working Group on the WTO/MAI. â€Å"A Citizen’s Guide to the World Trade Organization† (July 1999): 1-28

Soccer history :: essays research papers

Games similar to soccer were played in China as early as 400 B.C. In 200 A.D. the Romans played a game in which 2 teams tried to score by advancing the ball across a line on a field, which means no soccer goals. They passed the ball to one another, but not by kicking it. Also in the 1100's, London children played a form of soccer (World Book Encyclopedia, S p.73).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the early 1800's, many English schools played a game that resembled soccer. Players added many rules that changed the game, and each school interpreted them differently. In 1848, a group of school representatives met at Trinity College in Cambridge and drew up the first set of soccer rules (Brooks Clark, 1993). In 1863, representatives of English soccer clubs founded the English football clubs found the English Football Association. Soccer began to spread throughout the world in the late 1800's. By 1900, associations had been established in Belgium, Chile, Denmark, Italy, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. In 1904, the national associations founded the Federation Internationle de Futbol Association. Soccer was made an official Olympic sport in 1908. The Canadian Soccer Association was established in 1912, and the United States Soccer Federation was set up in 1913. The first World Cup was played, in 1913, in Montevideo, Uruguay. Since then, the World Cup has been held every four years, except during World War II (1929-1945), when the games were suspended.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Indoor soccer began in 1939, was formed by Major Indoor Soccer League, it started so people could play during the winter months. The North American Soccer League had its own indoor league from 1979-1984. Some of the differences from outdoor soccer are: there were only five players on the field and the goalkeeper, the goals are smaller, and the field is smaller. The field is like a hockey rink with astro-turf field surrounded with Plexiglas. The soccer goals are also built into the wall. This is a very fast paced game with four periods of 15 minutes each. In the United States, major league professional soccer has attracted little interest from the fans. Either indoor or outdoor proved to be successful, even with stars coming from Europe and Latin America. American Soccer League was the longest running professional league in the United States soccer history, going from 1921 to 1984. The North American Soccer League only existed until 1985. Some of the worlds' greatest players competed in this league, such as Michael Platani and Giorgio Chinaglia.

Love is a Disease: An Explication of Sonnet 147 Essay

Love is a Disease: An Explication of Sonnet 147 Love is a disease. Desire is deadly. When one thinks about Shakespeare’s sonnets, the instinctual response is the thought of romance. For instance the adoring lines, â€Å"Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day/ Thou are more lovely and more temperate† (Sonnet 18, 1-2), are thought to be the most famous words from a Shakespearean sonnet. However, instead of describing love in a starry-eyed fashion, Shakespeare discusses the punitive characteristics of love in Sonnet 147. The persona describes love as an infectious illness caused by sexual appetites. The persona’s mind knows better than to indulge his appetite, but he does not listen to his logic. He begins the sonnet by stating the primary issue: love is a disease. He transitions into explaining that the cure for this disease is reason, however he does not have hope that he can starve his sexual desire. He finally shifts to a more frantic state and in the end addresses the cause of his illness, the dark lady. Shakespeare articulates his hostile definition of love through fashioning love as a disease to display the tribulations of love, lust, and desire. In the first quatrain, there is the statement of the sonnet’s primary topic, which is that love is a disease. The content suggests the battle between love versus sexual appetite. His love is diseased because he has an intense appetite for lust, which when indulged in makes the disease worse. Shakespeare utilizes the metaphor â€Å"My love is as a fever† (Sonnet 147, 1) at the very beginning of the poem to make a strong statement that his love is a disease, and also to introduce the main idea throughout the sonnet. The placement of the metaphor displays that his unenthusiastic viewpoint of love is prominent. Secondly, he utilizes punctuation to create a clear argument. After the metaphor, â€Å"My love is as a fever,† (1) there is a comma dividing the first line in half. This comma is not a hard punctuation mark, however it isolates the initial metaphor. In doing so, the metaphor stands out immediately and makes these words even more important. Shakespeare uses feminine rhyme to form unity within the quatrain. The rhyming words are â€Å"still†, â€Å"disease†, â€Å"ill† and â€Å"please†. Each word is important to the meaning of the first quatrain; love is a disease that still yearns to be pleased. Additionally, he ends the each quatrain with a period. The  punctuation at the end of each quatrain keeps the ideas separate and the transition between the sonnet’s consistent content more obvious. For example, the first quatrain discusses love as a disease and the following quatrain discusses the dangers of desire versus the intelligence of reason. In the second quatrain, the persona discusses the battle between desire and reason. He conveys that reason is the doctor who can cure this disease, however he does not oblige. He declares that desire is dangerous and lethal. Shakespeare uses personification of the word reason, â€Å"My reason, and the physician to my love† (5). Reason is personified as a doctor to show that the mind is what cures a dangerous sexual appetite. The personification of reason brings the word to life and makes it more powerful and of greater importance. This displays the strength reason has over desire. Shakespeare carries the metaphor of love as a disease from the first quatrain into the second quatrain through the use of diction. He uses many words that refer to medical terms to align with the disease metaphor. For example, he uses the words â€Å"physician†(5) and â€Å"prescription†(6) to keep with the motif of the first quatrain to unify meaning. Lust has already been defined as devious in the first quatrain when it is referred to as a â€Å"sickly appetite†(4), however Shakespeare takes it a step further when he uses the metaphor â€Å"Desire is death† (8). Like the personification of reason, this metaphor gives the word desire greater importance. This aids in the quatrain’s main dispute of reason versus desire. â€Å"Desire is death†, is a harsh and straightforward metaphor. The persona expresses that desire is what causes the toxic disease. The use of punctuation also isolates the words desire and reason to show their importance to the quatrain. â€Å"My reason,† (5) is followed by a comma. When the reader says this out loud, it forces the reader to pause where the coma is. In doing so, the word reason is separate from the rest of the sentence and emphasized. The comma also creates a visual separation that creates emphasis. In the same way, â€Å"Desire is death,† (8), is also foll owed by a comma. The same emphasis applies here, which strengthens the quatrains conflict of reason versus desire. In the third quatrain, the persona expresses that he is hopeless. His sexual appetite cannot be cured. He is now angry, and like a madman tells  lies due to his detrimental sexual desires. This quatrain portrays the conflict between desire and the cure. Desire has overcome the cure and the persona is now hopeless of overcoming this disease. In the first line, Shakespeare introduces the meaning of the quatrain, â€Å"Past cure I am, now reason is past care† (9). Shakespeare uses repetition in the first line to emphasize the persona’s hopelessness of being cured. Along with repetition, an anaphora is used to greater tie the phrases together and create greater emphasis. The words â€Å"care† and â€Å"cure† are similar in sound and create a relationship, which underlines the persona’s loss of reason. Punctuation is used to separate two ideas within the quatrain; this is done through the use of a semi colon. The first segment is â€Å"Past cure I am, now reason is past care/ And frantic-mad with evermore unrest;† (9-10). It expresses his frantic hopelessness and is stopped by the semicolon. After which, the second segment states â€Å" My thoughts and my discourse as madmen’s are,/ At random from the truth vainly express’d;† (11-12). The second part expresses that he feels like a madman, and like a madman has begun to tell frivolous lies. The semicolon creates a break between the two ideas and reveals a regression from the persona’s frantic and hopeless state to the state of a madman. In addition, the second semicolon creates a separation between the quatrain and the couplet, which also are two ideas that are separate in meaning and tone because the end of the third quatrain transitions from the persona talking about his faults to the persona discussing someone else. The couplet at the end strays away from the metaphor in the first three quatrains, that love is a disease and surprises the reader by addressing the dark lady directly. The sonnet shifts dramatically because the persona is no longer talking about himself and his disease; he identifies another character, the dark lady. The persona declares her evil nature and finally explains the source of his sexual appetite, his disease. He claims that he use to think that the dark lady was gentle and beautiful, however he learned that she is evil. Shakespeare uses a simile to emphasize the dark lady’s evil qualities, he says â€Å"Who art black as hell, as dark as night† (14). The similes clearly reveal the malevolent nature of this woman and the detestation the persona carries towards her. The two similes are similar because they both use dark, evil words: â€Å"black†, â€Å"hell†, â€Å"dark† and â€Å"night†. The abundance of gloomy words stresses the persona’s feelings that the dark lady is evil and the source of his complaint. Shakespeare clearly sums up in fourteen lines that a sexual appetite is a dangerous entity. The persona reveals his transition of arguments filling his head, sexual appetites verses love, desire versus reason, and desire versus cure. At the end, he finally breaks down and identifies the source of his problems, the loathed dark lady. This sonnet reveals Shakespeare’s notion that women are dangerous beings. Women cause diseases because men’s sexual appetites need to be fed, however this leads to the disease growing. He expresses that the mind, reason, can overcome and cure this desire but men are hopeless to follow. Ultimately he reveals how not only are women the source of disease, but they also are deceivers who fake beauty and are truly wicked. The use of diction, metaphors, similes, repetition and more emphasizes Shakespeare’s detest. Through Sonnet 147, he reveals that lust is infectious and all consuming and that it leads to lack of reason, lies and dangerous women.

Gender Identity Essay

There are a couple factors that determine gender identity; like genetic factors, environmental situations, psychosocial factors, and even sexual hormones. â€Å"Gender identity is almost always consistent with chromosomal sex. † (Rathus, S. A. , Nevid, J. S. , and Fichner-Rathus, L. 2005). From the moment sperm fertilized an ovum, our destiny to be a girl or a boy is chosen. Usually at this point; 23 chromosomes from the male donor and 23 from the female come together and combine to make a â€Å"zygote†. Starting about six weeks into the pregnancy, our bodies began to form and create into what they are meant to be, and after the seventh week, our genetic code (XY or XX) begins to really assert itself. Gender identity is not always a term referring to a person’s anatomic sex, â€Å"sex assignment† is now the correct term to ask a person their anatomic sex that occurred at birth. It is said that by 36 months old, most children are said to have a firm sense of their gender identity. Our genes play an important role in determining our gender identity. The SRY gene (which is the gene that determines the Y male gene) will bind to DNA and distort, and alter it, creating the testes. The gene called Sox 9 is the gene that regulates the expression of SRY. If Sox 9 did not get to regulate the SRY gene; it would turn into a male fetus. We without help from the SRY gene, female reproductive organs would form instead of male organs. Recent research suggests that as many as one in every hundred individuals may have some intersex characteristics. † (Domurat, 1998). Some people do not believe that their gender identity corresponds with their biological sex (mainly transgender people, but also including; transsexuals and inter-sexed individuals as well. ) Difficulties can begin because society maintains that a person must accept a manner of social gender roles, which is based on their sex, and the person may feel that it is not consistent with their gender identity. This is known as â€Å"gender identity disorder†, and by definition means that the individual is uncomfortable with their anatomic gender, and presents themselves or act like a member of the opposite sex. Masculinity and femininity are terms that we hear every day in our lives. For example, we hear that Shawn is so secure in his masculinity that he is comfortable being a house-husband or that Wendy’s mastectomy is threatening her sense of femininity. Even though most people think of masculinity and femininity on opposite ends of one continuum, it does not make it true. Just because an individual may possess some traits of both categories does not make them too masculine or feminine. Where a person should be placed on the masculinity and femininity continuum, all depends on the degree to which the show or report specific gender-linked qualities, and behaviors. The midpoint on this hypothetical continuum is known as the zero point, and if a person has failed to develop gender-role identification, or they have transcended it, then they would be placed at this point of the line. Those who show strong sex-role identifications would go at either one end or the other of the hypothetical continuum. One of the factors in my life that have helped determine my gender identity is; by nature I am a female because I have the sexual reproduction system of a female. That is not what makes me a female though. What makes me a female is how I carry myself in everyday life. I am secure in my womanhood, and have never felt like I should have been a male instead. I like to dress like a woman, talk like a woman, and even use manners that are considered â€Å"womanly†. I chose to keep long, pretty, unpolished fingernails, and I wear make-up on special occasions, but since I do not wear it all the time that does not make me masculine. I was raised in an environment that my parents, teachers, and any other important figures in my life treated me like a female; therefore, I act like a typical societal female. I even grew up with toys that were specifically designed for female use like; dolls and make-up, and cooking toys. The masculine and feminine traits that I attribute to myself using the hypothetical continuum are kind of split in some ways. I can identify with both points of view regarding females and males. My mother thought it best to teach me things that most of the time need a man. She taught me these â€Å"manly† activities because she believes that women should be independent and never need a man for anything. Women are just as good as men (she used to tell me), and women should never be made to feel differently on the subject. I whole-heartedly agree. In conclusion, gender identity and gender roles can cause some conflicts in some people within their daily lives. These disputes can be lessened when the individual is able to develop a secure masculine or feminine gender identity about how they perceive themselves. There are rites of passages that help young female into womanhood, or a young male into manhood, depending on the culture around you as to what the rite of passage may include. Once an individual has figured out what identifies them as either masculine or feminine, they will be able to progress their own positive feelings about masculinity and femininity.